Washington D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
expresses its concern regarding the violent deaths of at least 25 persons at
the Capital Region Penitentiary Center ("Yare Prison") in the state of
Miranda, Venezuela. The IACHR calls upon the State to continue and to
strengthen the measures undertaken with the aim of preventing the repetition
of tragedies like this.

According to public information, on August 19, 2012 there was a clash
between gangs at the Yare I prison, in which at least 25 people (24 inmates
and one civilian visitor) lost their lives and another 45 people were
injured. The information received indicates that prisoners involved in the
dispute used high caliber firearms and even explosives. These acts of
violence occurred during the Sunday family visiting time.

The Commission emphasizes the importance of the authorities’ efforts to
rapidly identify the persons who lost their lives, which resulted in the
publication of the identity of 25 fatal victims, despite the difficulties
encountered in this process.

Furthermore, the Commission is concerned about the recurrence of such
incidents in the Yare prison, where, according to information received by
the Commission, between January and June of this year 19 inmates lost their
lives and 48 people were injured in various incidents of violence. According
to available information, the Yare I prison, with a capacity for 750
inmates, currently houses 3,150 people. The Commission is aware of the
efforts undertaken by the State in order to solve the serious problem of
overcrowding and encourages the authorities to continue, to strengthen and
to speed up these efforts.

The Commission insists that the provisional measures granted by the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the protection of persons deprived
of liberty in the Yare prison be carried out in all their terms. In these
measures, in force since March 2006, the Inter-American Court stated that:
“States are under a duty to take immediate action to guarantee the physical,
mental and moral integrity of inmates, as well as their right to life and
the right to decent living conditions,” and it resolved to “call upon the
State to immediately adopt such measures as may be required to efficiently
and conclusively prevent violence at the Yare Prison, in order that no
inmate or any other person at said facility is killed or their personal
integrity impaired.”

The States, as guarantor of the rights of persons deprived of their
liberty, must adopt all necessary measures to protect the life and physical
integrity of prison inmates. Along these lines, States have the fundamental
obligation to ensure the control and internal security of prisons, and must
in no way abandon this inherent duty. The proper control by the authorities
of internal order of the prisons is essential for the protection of all
human rights of persons deprived of their liberty.

The State, as guarantor of the fundamental rights of the persons deprived
of liberty, has the unavoidable legal duty to take concrete actions to
ensure the rights to life and to humane treatment of prisoners, particularly
measures to prevent and control outbreaks of violence in prisons. This
obligation exists not only in relation to actions of the State itself, but
also in relation to actions by third parties. The proper control by the
authorities of the internal order in prisons is the necessary precondition
to guarantee the human rights of persons deprived of their liberty. In this
regard, States have a fundamental duty to ensure control and internal
security of prisons and cannot in any way waive this inherent duty by
limiting itself to the external custody of the prison’s perimeter.

In addition to the situation in the Yare prison, the Commission expresses
its concern at the high levels of violence in other prisons in Venezuela and
the possession of firearms and explosives by criminal organizations inside
several prisons. According to information received by the Commission during
the first half of 2012, 304 prisoners have been killed and another 572 have
been injured in different acts of violence in Venezuela's prisons.

In this regard, the Commission acknowledges the announcement by the
Minister of Correctional Services of Venezuela, Iris Varela, that the
authorities are determined to disarm inmates at the Yare prison. The
Commission considers that the disarmament of the prison population and the
effective control of the entry of weapons in all penitentiary centers are
measures that must be undertaken immediately to reduce the rates of prison
violence and to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.

The IACHR urges the Venezuelan State to investigate the acts of violence
in the Yare I prison, punish those responsible and take measures to prevent
the recurrence of similar incidents. The State has the duty to investigate
and punish those responsible for the entry of weapons and ammunition that
end up in the hands of inmates.

The Commission reiterates its readiness to cooperate with the government
of Venezuela in the task of protecting the human rights of all people and
ensuring compliance with its international responsibility to protect and
guarantee human rights.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States
(OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American
Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to
promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative
body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven
independent members who are elected in a personal capacity by the OAS
General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or
residence.